Happy Thanksgiving!

I've been up for a few hours now, and while in the car earlier, I was thinking of what thing I was thankful for this year. I realized that I am truly blessed, even on days where I don't really feel like it.

Of course the thing that got me thinking of this today (well, besides it being Thanksgiving and all!) was a certain squirming child. I'd just dropped Todd off at work, stopped in to Mickey D's to say hi to Kirsten and was on my way home. Our little one decided it was time to wake up, and was very active. It made me realize just how much my life has changed this year, and how next year will be an even more amazing holiday season!

While next year will be great, there is still so much to be thankful for this year. First and foremost, I am so thankful to be having such a healthy and nearly event free pregnancy. This baby was a long time coming, and Todd and I couldn't be more excited to welcome him or her into our lives. Even though technically Todd and I became a family when we were married, adding in a child really makes me feel as though we are finally a family.

I'm also thankful for my beautiful home. Last Thanksgiving I never would have pictured myself living here - with Todd in school, our debt not paid down and not much for savings, I felt as though it would be years until we acheived this dream. But thanks to one of the kindest and most generous people I know, we have our home.

That leads me to being thankful for Jane. I know so many people who really have serious issues with their in laws. I thank God on a regular basis for NOT making me one of those people! I'm grateful to Jane for her generosity, her ambition, her ENERGY, and her unwavering faith in us. She knows that right now, we need her help, and she's been more than willing to offer that, both financially and with all that she does to make our home what it is. But at the same time, she sees the potential that we have to succeed in life, and knows that we're on the road to really make it big. Now it's not always sunshine and roses between Jane and I - we have our occasional spats, but we're both big enough women to see the error in our ways, apologize when need be, and forgive and forget just as easily. Besides being my mother in law, I am proud to call Jane my friend. This year, more so than any other, I am incredibly thankful that I am blessed to have her as part of my life.

On that note, I need to think about getting ready to make my way out for our Thanksgiving travels. I'll be getting Todd in Londonderry at noon, then we'll head to Jane's for dinner, after dinner we'll do a drive by in Chester to say hi to the Rowell brood, and then we'll make our way to Windham to visit with the Wilson's. We won't have too late a night tonight - Todd's got to work at 5am, and I'm seriously considering hitting some of the early bird sales tomorrow, since there are some great deals to be had out there.

Happy Thanksgiving to all, and especially to my little wiggle worm. Mommy already loves you so much more than she could ever imagine. I can't believe that in just 2 short months, I'll finally get to meet you, see your precious face and hold you in my arms, not just in my belly. :-) Daddy is pretty excited about meeting you too!

9 weeks and counting...

Well I've now had 2 appointments since I last posted. My appointment on the day of my last post was ok - weight gain was alright, but my blood pressure was a little high. One thing that was frustrating was that Dr. Eldredge didn't take it a second time. It's frequently high at the beginning of the visit, because I get nervous - the second time I'm usually fine. Dr. Eldredge decided that coming back in a week was a better alternative, so I was back there again last Thursday.

My last appointment was with Dr. Crandall - LOVE HIM! Blood pressure was good, I'd actually lost half a pound and the baby's measurements and heart rate were looking good. There was a little protein in my urine - not enough to cause alarm, but Dr. Crandall decided that it was best to send me for blood work anyway. His theory was that he'd rather send me now, and this way if there's a problem, we catch it early. Today I was pleasantly surprised to have a voicemail from Dr. Crandall checking in. My bloodwork came back normal, which made me happy. Dr. Crandall was very nice - he said he just wanted to see how I was feeling, let me know that my test results were good and to call with any questions. And he was kind enough to wise me a Happy Thanksgiving too. :-)

One other big thing this week was my work baby shower! We got all sorts of goodies, some great accessories for the nursery and the big gift - the travel system I picked out. As soon as I opened it, I said "Yay, I can bring the baby home from the hospital now!". It was so much fun, and reminded me what a caring and generous group of people I work with. My family and friends shower will be in a couple of weeks - after having one shower, I can't wait for this next one!

Well Todd reminded me that a Charlie Brown Thanksgiving is on tonight, and it starts in about 15 minutes...so the good wife that I am, I'm off to tape it for him. :-)

Til later...

I love days off...

Today has been so nice and relaxing. I've decided that from this point forward, I'm going to take the days of my MD appointments off from work. I've got plenty of time left to take, and lately I've been finding myself more and more tired by the end of the week that I come home and nap on Friday nights! I talked to my boss about it, and she thinks it's prefectly acceptable, and has just encouraged me to get my paperwork in to her in a timely manner. :-)

Part of what was so nice about today was that Todd had most of the day free too! That ended up just being a happy coincidence. It was registration day at school, and since he'd already registered for classes, he didn't have to be on campus til 4. So we ran some errands, went out for lunch - basically got to ACTUALLY spend time together, which between school and work rarely happens.

Today's MD appt will be just your typical checkup - pee in a cup, stand on a scale (hope I didn't gain quite so much this time around!), check my blood pressure, measure my belly and hear the heartbeat. Fingers crossed that all looks perfect!

Speaking of said appointment, I should probably cut this short so that I make it there on time. :-)